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The September 18, 2026 episode of 9to5Mac Daily rounds up the day's Apple news, focusing on fresh details surrounding iOS 27 and the rumored dual-screen or dual-device iPhone Duo concept. The podcast, sponsored by task-management app Stuff, is distributed across major platforms including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and TuneIn.
Apple has launched new Silicone and TechWoven MagSafe cases for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, priced at $49 and $59 respectively, in colors like Burgundy, Mulberry and Taupe. Third-party makers including ESR, Spigen, Nomad and Burton Goods have also released their own iPhone 18 Pro case collections, ranging from budget options starting at $14 to premium leather and stand-equipped designs.
With iPhone 18 Pro units now arriving to customers, retailers are running discounts across new cases, chargers, and cables alongside an existing $50 markdown on AirPods Pro 3. Amazon is also offering pre-order savings on the upcoming M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini lineup, plus a $320 cut on the entry 24GB M5 MacBook Pro.
Apple's newest lineup—iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5—hit store shelves and retailers worldwide today. CEO John Ternus marked the occasion by opening Apple's Fifth Avenue flagship in New York alongside retail chief Deirdre O'Brien and marketing head Greg Joswiak. Online orders for the new iPhones face multi-week delays, though in-store pickup is available in many locations.
Apple's iOS 27 update brings a major Apple Intelligence overhaul, including a much-improved Siri, but some newer iPhones now need up to 14GB of free storage for full AI functionality, compared to 8GB previously. This higher requirement applies specifically to iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, Air, Duo, and 18 Pro models, while other iPhones still only need 8GB.
Alongside launching the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5, Apple has rolled out its complete range of first-party accessories. This includes multiple Silicone and TechWoven case options with MagSafe support in various colors for both new iPhone models, priced at $49 and $59 respectively.
An Android Authority writer got hands-on time with Apple's newly unveiled iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, arriving over seven years after Android rivals entered the category. Despite weighing 254g—heavier than the iPhone 18 Pro Max—the device felt dense but well-balanced in hand rather than unwieldy, standing in contrast to the lighter, 201g Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Apple's iOS 27 update brings five notable changes to Apple Music: a landscape layout that pairs artwork with lyrics, an improved AutoMix feature with smoother transitions now also coming to tvOS and HomePod, redesigned artist pages with fullscreen color backgrounds, and a new weekly 'Friends' playlist that surfaces what people in your network are streaming.
Ahead of the iPhone Duo's October launch, several early hands-on videos from creators like Flourish Planner, Rich DeMuro, and GadgetMatch have surfaced showing the foldable device's software features. These clips demonstrate one-handed typing on the exterior display, a split keyboard mode in horizontal orientation, iPad-like landscape layouts for multitasking, book-reading with page-flip animations, and camera capabilities.
The Vergecast's David Imel and Allison Johnson examined Apple's iPhone 18 Pro camera system, highlighting its new variable aperture main lens designed for better low-light and depth-of-field control. They concluded that the camera app's manual controls, revamped imaging pipeline, and improved ProRAW support are proving more practically useful day-to-day than the aperture hardware itself.
Following Apple's unveiling of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo, Samsung's social media team launched a mocking campaign, calling the device 'so far, so same' and joking about 'reheated leftovers.' Samsung, which released the first mainstream foldable phone in 2019 and has since shipped around 20 models, is leaning on its years of foldable experience to needle Apple's late entry. Duolingo's owl mascot also joined in, joking about the 'Duo' name, while Apple executive John Ternus defended the device as an 'entirely new design' rather than 'two phones awkwardly stuck together.'
An Android Authority columnist reports buying his 14th iPhone, the iPhone 18 Pro, and argues that Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL have largely closed the technical gap with Apple's devices. Despite that parity, he says Apple still draws outsized attention and loyalty because of how it markets and narrates its products rather than through superior specs.